This application claims priority of Taiwan Application No. 91205357, filed on Apr. 19, 2002.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wood machining apparatus, more particularly to a sawdust collector for a wood machining apparatus
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional wood machining apparatus 10 according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,321 B1 is shown to include: a base 11, a cutter carriage 13, a motor housing 15 mounted on the cutter carriage 13 and having a vent port, a motor (not shown) disposed in the motor housing 15, a rotary cutter 14 mounted on the cutter carriage 13, a shaft 12 extending from the rotary cutter 14 and driven by the motor, a blower 22 mounted on the cutter carriage 13 and having a fan 221 that is driven by the shaft 12, a sawdust-guiding member 21 mounted on the cutter carriage 13 and having a box 211 and a spout which extends from the box 211 to the rotary cutter 14 to define a sawdust passage, an air duct 212 in fluid communication with the vent port of the motor housing 15 and the box 211, a first conduit 23 in fluid communication with the blower housing 22 and the box 211, a second conduit 24 in fluid communication with the blower housing 22, and a sawdust collector 25 in fluid communication with the second conduit 24. In operation, sawdust enters the spout, and is carried by the air flowing through the sawdust passage and the first and second conduits 23, 24 into the sawdust collector 25.
The aforementioned conventional wood machining apparatus 10 occupies a relatively large amount of space since the sawdust collector 25 is disposed externally of the base 11.
Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a wood machining apparatus in which a sawdust collector can be disposed directly below a cutter carriage so as to save space.
Accordingly, a wood machining apparatus of the present invention includes a base, two pairs of supporting rods, a cutter carriage, a rotary cutter, a blower, a sawdust-guiding member, a conduit, and a sawdust collector. The base has two opposite sides and front and rear sides. The supporting rods respectively extend uprightly from the opposite sides of the base. The cutter carriage includes a pair of parallel carriage casings mounted movably and respectively on the supporting rods. The rotary cutter is mounted rotatably on, and extends between the carriage casings, and is adapted to plane a wooden workpiece thereunder. The blower is mounted on one of the carriage casings, and has a blower housing. The sawdust-guiding member includes an air duct that extends between and that is mounted on the carriage casings, that is connected to and that is in fluid communication with the blower, and that is adapted to receive sawdust generated by the rotary cutter during a machining operation. The conduit has a first end connected to and in fluid communication with the blower housing, and a second end opposite to the first end. The sawdust collector is disposed below the base, includes a casing having two opposite upright walls with top and bottom ends, and a supporting wall that interconnects the top ends of the upright walls to support the base thereon, and that cooperates with the upright walls to confine a bin-receiving space. The supporting wall is formed with a conduit opening to permit extension of the second end of the second conduit therethrough. A mounting rod is mounted on and extends between the bottom ends of the upright walls at the rear side of the base. A sawdust collecting bin defines a sawdust-collecting space therein, has a top opening for access into the sawdust-collecting space, and two opposite side walls that confine two opposite sides of the sawdust-collecting space, and is pivoted to the mounting rod in such a manner that the sawdust collecting bin is turnable about the mounting rod between a sawdust collecting position, in which the top opening in the sawdust collecting bin is enclosed in the bin-receiving space so as to permit collection of sawdust from the air duct via the conduit into the sawdust collecting space, and a sawdust removing position, in which the top opening in the sawdust collecting bin is exposed outwardly of the bin-receiving space so as to facilitate removal of sawdust from the sawdust collecting space.